Third Coast Percussion (TCP) returns to DPAC this spring with a program featuring works by Lou Harrison and Jessie Montgomery. At the heart of this performance is a rich collaboration between TCP and Montgomery—an acclaimed composer known for her vibrant, genre-defying voice.
In this special Meet the Artist conversation, TCP’s David Skidmore shares how this creative partnership came to life, what it was like to bring Montgomery’s new piece to the stage, and how these works speak to each other across time, tradition, and innovation.
This collaboration brings together the innovative sounds of Third Coast Percussion with Jessie Montgomery’s unique compositional voice. How did this partnership come about, and what inspired you to work together?
Jessie and I were friends already, and so I reached out to her when she started her time as composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony. We went out to brunch, caught up, and Jessie mentioned that she was so (happily) busy with her composing projects that she wasn’t getting as many chances to perform chamber music as she would like. I mentioned the Lou Harrison piece…and I also shyly mentioned that we would love her to write us a piece when the time was right. As it happened, she was already working on a percussion piece, so we workshopped that piece with her, which led to even more music from Jessie for percussion quartet, which is what we’ll be performing at DPAC. Jessie is a fabulously creative composer with original ideas and a collaborative spirit—all the things we in TCP look for when we ask someone to write us some music!
What was it like to work with Jessie Montgomery on this new piece, and how did her compositional style challenge or enhance your approach to performance?
Jessie was recently interested in sounds that bend the pitch of percussion instruments. Fortunately, we had a few tricks up our sleeve to make this possible, including dipping crotales (tuned metal discs) in water after striking them, and blowing air into tomtoms via plastic tubes to bend the pitch. Both of these techniques are unconventional, and she asks us to perform both in some very virtuosic passages, which was a very real and fun challenge. Jessie also chose a serious and important inspiration and subject matter for her piece Lady Justice/Black Justice (the song), and we’re so pleased when composers approach compositions for percussion with the same gravity that they would any other instrumentation.
The program includes Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra. How do you see this piece complementing the new work by Jessie Montgomery?
Actually, Jessie started learning the Harrison work as she was writing her music for TCP, so in some ways the Harrison influenced the composition of Lady Justice, I believe. Harrison writes such beautiful melodies on unconventional percussion instruments, and Jessie drew from that idea. I also see similarities in the rhythmic languages of the two works.
How do you prepare for a program that includes both a newly commissioned work and a piece as distinct as Harrison’s concerto?
I think we approach all the music we play in a similar fashion. Working with living composers in person really humanizes composers who are no longer with us. You see how composers are curious, trying new ideas, holding on to what works and letting go of what doesn’t, allowing the performers to put their own stamp on the works they write. Why shouldn’t we approach any composer, whether it’s Lou Harrison, Nadia Boulanger, or Ludwig van Beethoven, the same way?
What do you hope audiences will experience and take away from this concert, particularly in terms of the interplay between the violin and percussion?
For those who love more traditional chamber music, we hope that the violin builds a bridge between, say, Schubert and Mendelssohn and the music Third Coast Percussion plays. It’s hardly a one-to-one comparison! But the connections are deeper than one might imagine at first glance. And for those who love percussion and modern music of any style, Lou Harrison is a delight to listen to because he was so far ahead of his time, combining influences ranging from Indonesian gamelan to Bartok and Stravinsky.
As Third Coast Percussion continues to redefine the possibilities of chamber music, their collaboration with Jessie Montgomery stands out as a thrilling example of what happens when creative voices align. From pitch-bending percussion techniques to deeply resonant themes, their concert invites listeners into a sonic landscape both timeless and daringly new. It’s clear that the spirit of collaboration remains central to Third Coast Percussion’s ever-evolving journey.
We look forward to celebrating both DPAC and TCP’s 20th-anniversary season this April!
April 27, at 4 p.m.
Third Coast Percussion with Jessie Montgomery
Grammy Award winners Third Coast Percussion (TCP), the center’s ensemble-in-residence from 2013 to 2018 and also celebrating its 20th anniversary, perform with acclaimed Grammy Award-winning composer, violinist, and educator Jessie Montgomery. Montgomery, who has received the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, is known for her works that blend classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness.
The recital will showcase Montgomery’s talents as a composer and a violinist and feature a new percussion quartet composition commissioned by TCP, which explores various sounds and characters using a compact percussion setup. Join us in welcoming Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, David Skidmore, and Jessie Montgomery as they redefine the classical music experience.
